This presentation formed part of the Farming Futures workshop 'Irrigation in a changing climate: save water, save money, get fit for the future'. 17th November 2009

1. Agri-tech Services (UK) Ltd
Irrigation Management Precision Farming Weather Stations
www.agri-tech.co.uk

2. Agri-tech Services (UK) Ltd
Improving infield Water Management
www.agri-tech.co.uk

3. Which method of application?
Overhead or Drip
www.agri-tech.co.uk

4. Soil or soil-less?
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5. Why schedule?
•Applying irrigation water is an expensive pastime!
•Incorrectly scheduled irrigation will adversely affect
your crop
•Poor irrigation practice can increase the risk of pest
and disease pressures
•Leaching of water and nutrients - a costly exercise
•Waste of resource – labour, electricity / diesel,
water, fertiliser
www.agri-tech.co.uk

6. Why schedule?
Increase yield
Enhance quality
Repeat results year after year
Save costs – water / electricity, fertilisers, labour
Environmental friendly
Fast ROI
www.agri-tech.co.uk

7. Which system?
The boot!
Balance sheet
The periscope
www.agri-tech.co.uk

8. Balance Sheet
Weather station measuring ET
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9. Which system?
Periscope
Neutron Probe
Tensiometers
Capacitance probes
www.agri-tech.co.uk

10. Neutron Probe Service – Weekly report
Crop use at 20 & 30cms
SMD = 14mm
Predicted crop use = 2 – 2.5 mm per day
Crop next due for 20-25mm irrigation 12th
-14th August
Field Capacity Rainfall
Irrigation
Irrigation trigger
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11. Tensiometer
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12. Overhead Irrigation
Irrigation event
Daily water uptake
Plant water uptake stops by night
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13. Drip Irrigations matching crop water uptake
Rainfall
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14. Drip Versus Boom / Raingun
7 day interval between irrigations
Daily irrigations matching crop uptake
www.agri-tech.co.uk

15. Remote Continuous Logging Solution
•Capacitance Probe
•Measuring at multi-depths
•Vertical insertion into the soil
creating minimal disturbance
•Data sent to remote server for
analysis
•Web based – view anytime
anywhere
www.agri-tech.co.uk

16. Advisory service
•Consultants interpret the data and
publish to the web
35mm gain from heavy rainfall •Irrigation thresholds set determined
Daytime crop use
by crop growth stage & soil type
•Regular in field inspections useful to
validate the data
•Data displayed in mm of water
making it easy for the user to
understand
•Be informed anytime anywhere
www.agri-tech.co.uk

17. Daily water use in mm
Irrigation / rainfall in mm
Field Capacity
Moisture content graph – top 50cm
Irrigation trigger
Onset of stress
www.agri-tech.co.uk

18. Raingun
Applies large volumes quickly
Good in irregular shaped fields
Ease of moving from pull to pull and field
to field
Potentially better than boom on lower
infiltration rate soils
www.agri-tech.co.uk

19. Boom
Advantages:
Even distribution of water across spread width
Wetting of the entire ridge / bed environment
Big advantage over the raingun in windy conditions
Ease of movement from field to field
www.agri-tech.co.uk

20. Drip Irrigation
Advantages:
Ability to meet plant’s uptake need
Controlled deficit irrigation possible
Low energy requirement
Spray and irrigate
Reduced disease (eg blight) environment
Efficient use of water - placed where required
Option to fertigate
www.agri-tech.co.uk

21. www.agri-tech.co.uk

22. The Concept – Cable free!
Sensors
Collecting data from the field
Communication modules
Internet
Transferring the information to the &
users Cellular
Software
Processing & presenting the data
to the users
www.agri-tech.co.uk

23. www.agri-tech.co.uk

24. Sensor Family
Soil Moisture Plant parameter
Operational & hydraulic Environmental
www.agri-tech.co.uk

25. Soil Moisture
Tensiometer Echo 20cm
(moisture)
Aquaspy Echo 5cm
(Capacitance) (moisture)
Echo Te
(moisture)
NetaSense (temperature)
(TDR) (Ec)
www.agri-tech.co.uk

26. Operational & Hydraulic
Flow Meters
www.agri-tech.co.uk

27. Plant Parameter
• Dendrometer
– Measures the Plant
stem expansion and
shrinkage as an
indication of plant
water potential
• Leaf-Sen
– Leaf-thickness-sensor
that accurately and
continuously assesses
leaf turgor
www.agri-tech.co.uk

28. Environmental
• Weather Station
– Developed to maintain all
considerations of new requirement
and standards
– Can be used for open fields/
greenhouse applications
– Irrigation scheduling, disease
prediction models
• Temperature
– Provides an accurate and stable
reading
– Up to three sensors per transmitter
www.agri-tech.co.uk

29. Precision Irrigation Management
Summary:
Make sure farm systems are performing reliably
and effectively
Maximise crop quantity and quality
Minimise and optimise water and fertiliser
consumption
Ensuring you're in control wherever you are
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30. Any Questions?
www.agri-tech.co.uk